Judging by all media sites, there are no rallies planned for today. In fact, other than Fox using this as another opportunity to bash President Obama, the rest of the media seems focused on the Wisconsin Assembly’s middle of the night passage of the anti-union bill.

Unions made the Middle Class. But with a consistent voter turnout in the 30% range, ‘evangelical christians’ learned they could dominate elections by voting in blocks. Their church has become a powerful political machine, operating in shadows, electing “stealth” candidates, and now, they are coming into their own. Candidates espousing the ‘evangelical christian’ ideology are holding majority positions in State Legislatures across the country.

The Middle Class will pay a price for its complacency: a struggle for its very existence.

This is our daily open thread — as always, your thoughts on this, or any other subject, are welcome.

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196 thoughts on “The Watering Hole: Saturday, February 26, 2011: We are All Cheeseheads!”

It seems that the current Conservative goal is to use this election cycle to turn middle America on its ear in hopes that Liberals will be trounced in 2012 because of the President’s skin color.

They tried this in 1994 and the resulting back flash cost them in the 1996 election.

I believe that they will be proven wrong once more when the 2012 cycle completes its course. They are trying to strike while the iron is hot in hope that the electorate will forget by 2012. Instead, they have stirred the coals that have given rise to the Main Street America movement.

Judith Regan, fired from her job at Harper Collins, says she has a taped recording of Roger Ailes telling her to lie to the feds about her affair with disgraced (and disgusting) former NYC Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik in order to protect Rudy Giuliani’s chances of winning the Republican nomination for president. News Corps claims they have a letter from Regan “stating that Mr. Ailes did not intend to influence her with respect to a government investigation.” But then, News Corp says a lot of things that aren’t true, don’t they?

Major power grab, and I think that they expected for this to just go down smoothly, that no one would notice. Particualrly given the MSM coverage of this from day one. If the MSM reported on this accurately and truthfully, without bias for either side, they know that they would be overwhelmed by the people. You just know that they are thinking, “Damn, when can we eliminate this whole election/democracy thing?”

I am concerned that there is just not enough pressure on them: they certainly don’t see any of this as pressure, they see it as bumps in the road and that they will overcome in time (though their patience seems to be wearing thin… one can only hope… “act in haste” and all that).

Another thing that it sounded like to me in that prank call to Walker, was that apparently some of them beleive their own lies — it sounded like Walker truly believes that the majority of the people agree with them. Maybe he was just so comfortable with spewing that that it sounded genuine. But I can see many of these lower-level politicians and pundits actually believing their own lies. Just my take. That could explain the rampant hubris (not justify it, just explain it).

As Walt alluded to, there are no “independent” media voices in the MSM. They are all owned by corporations who do not want to see the People win this fight. The destruction of public unions is a prelude to the destruction of private unions. Jane and I have not tuned into MSNBC for even a second (except to pass through to another channel) ever since they forced Keith Olbermann out the door. And the cable company (Comcast, in our case) will know that because they can tell what channels we watch.

HEAD OF POLICE UNION ASKS GOVERNOR TO KEEP CAPITOL OPEN AND ANNOUNCES LAW ENFORCEMENT SLEEPOVER

MADISON—Following action by lawmakers to approve a rule change that clears the way for closing down the State Capitol and ejecting the people protesting Governor Walker’s bill to curtail union activity, the head of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association called on the governor today to keep the capitol building open and allow the peaceful protesters to remain.

“The law enforcement officers from across the state that have been working at the Capitol and have been very impressed with how peaceful everyone has been,” said WPPA Executive Director Jim Palmer. “As has been reported in the media, the protesters are cleaning up after themselves and have not caused any problems. The fact of that matter is that Wisconsin’s law enforcement community opposes Governor Walker’s effort to eliminate most union activity in this state, and we implore him to not do anything to increase the risk to officers and the public. The costs of providing security can never outweigh those associated with a conflict.”

Palmer also announced that, beginning tonight, the WPPA is formally requesting its members from across the state to come to the Capitol to sleep amongst the throngs of other union supporters.

“Law enforcement officers know the difference between right and wrong, and Governor Walker’s attempt to eliminate the collective voice of Wisconsin’s devoted public employees is wrong,” continued Palmer. “That is why we have stood with our fellow employees each day and why we will be sleeping among them tonight.”

Walker needs to talk with Ghadaffi for some pointers, seems to me. Mercenaries might be the only sure way to get his job done, to break up those damn unions. In the interest of an enduring Koch succor, sotospeak.

Kathleen Parker ended her rocky run as a television co-host today as CNN announced would be reformatting “Parker Spitzer” as an ensemble show with her co-host, Eliot Spitzer.

“Parker Spitzer” was an attempt to stanch that bleeding at 8 p.m., but from the outset it had trouble gaining traction in the ratings. When ratings picked up a bit recently when Parker was out sick, the rumblings in the gossip pages grew even louder.

As I said in October, Parker was painful to watch on this show. The 8pm time slot will likely get more crowded when Keith Olbermann starts his Current TV news show. I don’t see the ratings improving much for Spitzer, once that happens. CNN gains viewers only when something major happens, like the Egyptian protests.

As the Wisconsin Police Association has noted (to the Governor himself, no less), the protesters have been entirely peaceful. They have been exercising their first amendment rights to peaceably assemble (on public property) and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Any action by Walker to forcibly expel them would be a violation of the US Constitution, which he is constitutionally obligated to support AND defend.

So, if Walker does call in Wackenhut to clear out the protesters, he’ll be paying US taxpayer money to a foreign corporation to deny Americans their First Amendment rights. To me, that sounds like it would be grounds for impeachment.

I have a Pur filter on on my kitchen faucet to take the chlorine out of tap water. Apparently Arrowhead can’t even bother doing that much for their bottled water. They do seem to have a strong foothold in California so maybe they’re not even trying any more. Jerks.

I don’t know about Wisconsin, but around here Wackenhut (we use them at work) are the typical underpaid door-rattlers. I doubt they could clear fourth graders out of an assembly, and they’re certainly not commando material.

Of course, if they were offered a two-dollar-an-hour bonus they might become vicious killers.

But, amusement aside, I think it is a very positive trait. Sounded like she was not shy at all — she was very comfortable with her sexuality*, in stark contrast to the prefered (and, might I argue, “traditional”) idea that women don’t talk about …. you know….. (sex)….

I guess I mean to say that the comment stood out very much so, but it should not have.

*I know this phrase is used when speaking of “non-straight” people, but the “straight” folk have just as many issues about being comfortable with their sexuality as well. We are talking about the all time number one in all of history prefered entertainment (sex in general), but it is treated publicly like a taboo. And I do that to — it has been ingraned (spelling?).

If the security guards are hired locally, the are probably like those a friend of mine works for — they are understaffed, underpaid, no benefits, and every single one (including the managers!) will openly admit to anyone that they are always looking for a different job, and since you brought it up, “Are you hiring?”

That reminds me of some wingnut moron Thom Hartmann was talking to on his show the other day. He was totally against gay marriage, but really didn’t have an argument against it, other than ‘just cuz, and ya know having kids.’

Thom asked him if men who have had vasectomies should not be allowed to marry, since that seems to be the purpose for marriage, and the guy said people who couldn’t have kids of their own could adopt. That led to Thom saying that married gay couples could adopt, which would put them on the same footing, and the guy really started whining about that completely not being the point.

Heh, I love it when they’re backed into a corner. Earplugs are always handy…

Lots of cartoons and infomercials, Zooey. The only coverage I found was, gulp, on Fox News–at least coverage of Wisconsin. I want to thank you, though, because I found what appears to be a really terrible version of A Princess of Mars, possibly with Traci Lords as Dejah Thoris. Hubba hubba.

Huckabee: See, if you look at the statistics I’m giving you, you’ll see that the vast majority of single parents live at or below the poverty line. This graph over here shows the poverty level overall. Now, if we remove all the single parents from the chart (by making them married couples), the poverty level graph drops WAY down.

Interviewer: But wouldn’t they still be poor people, just married poor people?

Huk: Huh? Look, just look at the graph. When those single parents are removed…

Hey, all… here at the Capitol in Wisconsin there are what seems to be 50,000 or so people protesting Walker and the Koch boys. Official start time is 3:00. The crowd has been growing since around 11:00 AM.

When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other
Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes away

This is the face of the new foot soldier in the battle to maintain access to abortion: the girl next door.
Graduating in record numbers from medical schools, young women are increasing the ranks of tomorrow’s abortion providers, bringing the procedure out of the margins and into mainstream medicine — and securing its place within academia’s safe and supportive structure. UC San Francisco and Stanford are among the universities leading the way.

“Abortion is part of women’s reproductive health care, so it should be part of our training.” said Dr. Merrie Warden

I believe an old friend of mine got suckered and posted this at Facebook:

WARNING!! Facebook will be closed for maintenance from February 29 to 31!! Facebook wants YOU to Share this message with at least 15 of your friends for the best chance of alerting everyone. Many people will try to login from February 29 to 31, just to find the site closed down for those days with no warning. HELP …YOUR FACEBOOK FAMILY — REPOST THIS

As of January, we here in Colorado’s third district have a new congressman, a teabagger idiot (if I may be blunt) named Scott Tipton (what is with guys named ‘Scott’ all of a sudden?) Anyway, a few weeks ago I think it was probably moveon.org that was fighting against budget cuts for the arts. I signed their letter which strongly favored support for the NEA, the letter which went directly to my rep. Today I got a response. Second paragraph reads:

Having started my own pottery business, I have a true appreciation for the arts. I know firsthand that with the right product and a strong work ethic one can make a successful living in the arts business. I believe that most artists can be successful without government funding. Funding for the arts should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

What is it about Republicans that seems to demand that they, each and all, maintain that nothing has virtue unless it makes money? Was Mozart a failure because he was buried in a pauper’s grave? (Republican: “Moatsart? Moatsart who? Don’t sound like no Dixie Chick.”).

It occurs to me that Republicans do, truly and yea verily, owe a huge debt to the ancient Arabs, the ones who came up with the concept of “Zero” and thereby totally defined the essence of today’s US GOP. Gotta wonder: how did they know? Must be that caliphate thing.

in one, he is emotionally moved by the feel of soft toilet paper against his hard, unfeeling shell; in the second – the most chilling tableau of his career – he contemplates matricide, about to smash in a head of a chicken, the very species that gave him birth.

Don’t miss the Kos hate mail thingee today, esp. this one that begins:

Here’s the thing: a nigger shouldn’t be president. And it’s not racism, it’s in the Constitution. The Constituition of the United States says that the president has to be “representative of the people of the United States”.

Interesting “logic”, also of constitutional ignorance. Kos’s reply will cause a grin.

So, changing subjects, how do we go about stopping the takeover of America by the Tea Party fanatics? AS you all know, I’m all for alternative political parties, but I was hoping they would base their positions on facts and logic, not emotion and bullshit.

Wayne, I have no idea, other than getting on the streets and making ourselves heard.

Stupid people who decided to stay home in November, or vote for teabagger/repiggies out of some warped sense of punishing the Dems for not doing ‘enough,’ really put us in a bad spot. I’m afraid that unless we can get some recall petitions going, this is the way of things until 2012.

The Gov of WI certainly is acting in bad faith with the people in his state, and it seems there ought to be some remedy for them other than recall, which is a year from ever being accomplished. Surely, Walker could achieve quite a lot of damage in that time, much of it irreparable.

It’s all very frustrating, and I feel like we’re all behind the ball, with the Koch brothers having orchestrated an amazing takeover of states in 2010. We stand here shocked, Citizens United looms in our path, and our own SCOTUS is not on the people’s side.

Perhaps if someone were to bring a civil lawsuit against him, it might make him step down even temporarily. Remember that Clinton couldn’t postpone the Paula Jones bullshit lawsuit (did you know that Ann Coulter was one of her attorneys?) The judge said that “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

That’s probably the only way he might be lamed, Wayne. I doubt such an ego maniac would ever step down, even temporarily, but a lawsuit brought against him by the people of his state might turn him into a lame duck, and maybe his disgusting repiggie senate and assembly would think better of attaching themselves to his despicable coattails.

Violence is the last thing we should do, even if violence is used against us. Walker said it himself, “We thought about it.” That “we” could get him trouble for conspiracy, maybe. Unless he’s already using the “royal we.”

The “royal we” excuse won’t get him out of trouble. Perhaps a federal lawsuit of some kind can be brought against him for threatening citizens. However, a resident of Wisconsin, preferably one who was there protesting and, therefore, a potential victim of such threats, would have legal standing to bring a lawsuit. You or I couldn’t do it, even under the argument “A threat to Liberty anywhere is a threat to Liberty everywhere.”

Oh no, even if someone from outside the state could file such a lawsuit, it would be beyond the pale to do so. Talk about your “outside agitators!” I’m sure there are plenty of potential plaintiffs in WI, and plenty of good labor attorneys to get the thing going.

I thought I was scared for this country in 2008, 2009, and 2010, but in 2011, I’m more scared than ever. Things just keep escalating and escalating, and I’m wondering just how bad things are going to get?

I hadn’t noticed, Wayne. I seem to have a constant low grade headache, and I think the stress and outrage fatigue are getting to me. I don’t seem to be able to stop reading the news, but I just don’t seem to be able to DO anything about it.

We’ve often said it’s going to take bloodshed in the streets to get the country to fight back, and I’m afraid that’s true. Not bloodshed cast by our side but by theirs. If Walker ever orders the National Guard in his state to fire on protesters, even with non-lethal weapons, I hope they would refuse the order. The protesters are exercising their constitutional rights and doing so peacefully. Members of the military take an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and obeying orders to attack peaceful protesters would be a violation of that order. We need for the president to point that out publicly.

We just need the lawsuits to stall them long enough to allow the recall process to kick in. After that, once he’s recalled, who cares about the lawsuits? And if whoever takes over is going to be just as bad as Walker, then they should pre-emptively recall them, too.

ebb, I heard they were going to kick everyone out on Sunday, so the place could be cleaned. Even though the cops had said everyone was cleaning up after themselves very nicely. After the disgusting vote in the WI assembly the other day, I don’t trust any of them.

They are a devious lot – yeah, the ‘cleaning-up’ is the ‘heave-ho’ Walker is looking for.
He best watch out – the rest of the country is on the citizens side. Just look at all the rallies across the U.S.

I hope the citizens of Wisconsin who owe state income taxes are waiting until April 15 to pay. It’s their right.

They should also exercise their rights and write letters to the governor or use his official web form to submit questions, anything to force him to answer. Anything that would force him to spend time doing something other than public union-busting.

Then, I want all the public employees who would have to answer the letters to the governor to go on a general slowdown and take long enough to answer that laws are violated, thus getting the governor in legal trouble.

Because, Zooey, the stupid people in this country outnumber the intelligent ones, and they don’t know what it means to be Liberal. They think it’s something evil or, worse, destructive of humanity in general.

Besides, which right-wing polling organization put out his poll? Gallup. The same ones who gave us “Dewey Defeats Truman.”

Public opinion polls are meaningless, for a lot of reasons, including the fact that respondents don’t always have the same definitions of words in mind when they answer.

There is a whole cottage industry devoted to convincing people that public opinion polls actually have some correlation to public opinion. It’s one of the Big Lies we;re told every day. For example, how can you trust a Wall Street Journal/ NBC News poll, when the WSJ is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who directly competes with NBC?

I really find it hard to believe that TP cares about those of us who have been posting there since nearly the beginning. Not when they keep allowing He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named to shit all over their threads with his excessively large fonted idiocy.

Just because I know what should be done doesn’t mean it will be done. I was a local union rep, once upon a time. I advised my members what was coming down, and what they should do about it. They chose not to follow my advice, and are still paying a price, 11 years later.

My consolation? The next year, a co-worker, ex military and the polar opposite of me, politically, saluted me, and acknowledged that I was right. As for me, I went back to school and started a new career.

As far as optimism goes, it’s just a reality that when things get bad enough, long enough, people will rebel against their overlords.